Practice
by Passionfruit1982
Summary: The doctor in training Valery Alba is assigned to the Enterprise. Will she be able to use her new learned knowledge about vulcans correctly and not only in her job? with Taurik, Crusher and some invented characters. Chapter 7 is up!
1. Newbies

All rights on "Star Trek" remain by Paramount. Copyright of this story by me.

Thanks to NebulaClash for proof reading!

Enjoy and review!

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**Preface**

When Valery Alba had finished her medical studies, she is assigned to the Enterprise for a part of her clinical practice. There she learns something new about Vulcans from Dr. Crusher and also meets Taurik, an old classmate. Will she be able to use her knowledge correctly and not only in her job? (Romance/Humor)

**Chapter 1: Newbies**

"Stardate 48515.6, Dr. Crusher, medical log: We'll have a series of medical routine missions in the next months and I got the order from Starfleet to introduce four assistant doctors into the clinical practice. Counselor Troi and I will supervise them in their daily practical tasks and deepen their medical knowledge. They shall especially improve their bedside manners and learn how to do diagnoses and treatments in difficult situations."

Dr. Crusher was watching her screen intensely.

"Doctor, are you already a bit edgy?" teased nurse Ogawa in her usual good-natured tone.

"I have given Wesley a lot of speeches, but this is surely something different," came the Doctor's answer, not looking away from her screen.

"What's their first lecture?"

"After the general introduction I have to complete their general medical knowledge with confined information, things they didn't learn at the academy."

"Hmm...then they'll be all ears without any help. On the other hand...some species keep things secret which are barely worth bothering."

"Yes, I remember the mess with Lt. Kalu's gastronomic syndrome!" Dr. Crusher told her laughingly. "Which species is first?"

"Vulcans," she answered in a more serious tone.

"Oh, I have some big knowledge holes there, too."

"I also have to fill some of mine, there have been some discoveries lately." She touched the screen. "Computer, transfer this program to holodeck three...I have to watch this diagnosis exercise program before I let the students deal with it."

"In one hour there are three physicals, Dr.," the nurse reminded her, "Lt. Heiser, En. Uhego and Lt. Barclay."

Dr. Crusher tried to block the uncomfortable thoughts of Lt. Barclay and left sickbay with the words: "One hour will suffice, till later!"

* * *

"I'm already fond of this place here," said a blue-skinned tall young man with antennae on his head who stretched himself comfortably. Four young people were sitting at a table in Ten Forward.

"You're surely not in a dry desert here, but if you get everything you're heart is longing for...I'm not sure," said a woman with brown hair tucked into a bun, and took a strand out of her face, laughing.

"It's of advantage to do three months of the clinical practice in the diversity on board of this vessel." T'Pkara took a sip out of her drink in the usual Vulcan way.

"The program for the next few days looks rather boring," a young man with messy blonde hair said, "after the introduction today, we'll have another diagnosis exercise on the holodeck, we already had a lot of them at the academy. I guess they are fearful for their patients."

"Uh oh, you can't wait, Charlie, to feel the pulse of real ladies...hehe...that's the right spirit, I can't, too," cut the Andorian in.

"Shrinal, be a bit more quiet, everyone is looking at us!" urged him the brunette woman.

But too late, a woman in a lilac costume with long dark curly hair was already smiling at them and coming over to their table. "Good afternoon, I'm Counselor Deanna Troi. If I'm not mistaken, you are the assistants."

"Yes, your hypothesis is correct," answered T'Pkara and gave her a hand diplomatically, "I'm T'Pkara and my main subject is neurology. I want to specialize on telepathy and I'm already informed that you'll be my tutor."

"I'm Shrinal and I study general medicine!" said the Andorian and gave her a blue hand grinning luckily.

"Your tutor is Dr. Crusher. You'll also meet her shortly."

The Andorian tried not to show his disappointment.

"I'm Charles Glaser and study psychology, I'm lucky to get an experienced Counselor as tutor."

"The luck is on my side," Troi responded and turned to the woman with the brown hair.

"I'm Valery Alba and study also general medicine."

"You'll also be supervised by Dr. Crusher. For questions about psychology or if you wish a general counseling, I'm always there for all of you."

Shrinal grinned across the whole face.

* * *

"vsh" When Troi entered the turbolift, she met Dr. Crusher. "Hello Beverly, I've already seen our four newbies," she began smiling, "Deck three."

"I'll fetch all four of them right now, show them around a bit and introduce them into the practice with some usual physicals," Dr. Crusher answered and blocked a comment about Lt. Barclay forming in her head. "Tomorrow they'll get a holographic diagnosis exercise. I just watched it and I must say that it's quite shocking."

"That shouldn't be bad at all for those students. When they learn to cope with holographic blood now, they'll do much easier in an emergency with real one," advised the counselor in a deep thoughtful tone.

"Hmm...true...also the medical section at headquarters has to know what they can trust their students to cope with," the doctor responded.

"I would like to be at the first lection so I can talk better with them about it, if they should have problems," said Troi.

"Tomorrow at eight o'clock on holodeck three," Crusher told her and left the turbolift smiling.


	2. A Diagnosis Exercise

**Chapter 2: A Diagnosis Exercise**

When Shrinal, T'Pkara, Charlie and Valery entered the holodeck, they found themselves in an exact copy of sickbay. While Dr. Crusher was greeting them, Counselor Troi entered, too. "The simulations, which await you in your practical year, are not about learning medical details by heart," Dr. Crusher continued, "you should already know them...but it's about handling difficult situations. You have to be prepared to encounter phenomena which are not written in your academy textbooks and nevertheless you have to diagnose quickly and give a fitting treatment." She looked in their faces. "Counselor Troi and I will only advise you in the case of your total failure. But in this program all medical information of the ship's computer inclusive fictional patient's files are available. It's also up to you, to repeat the program till you find a successful solution." The two tutors took chairs and sat themselves at a free wall. "Computer, start program!"

"Lt. Worf to sickbay!"

"Yes?" answered Shrinal.

"Has Ensign Sorak reported to you?"

"No, what's the matter with him?"

"One moment, please."

Silence. The students exchanged curious looks. Worf reported again with a tone that betrayed more clearly his anger: "I emphasized my order, if he doesn't report to you in the next three minutes, tell me immediately! Worf out."

More curious looks. There was the hissing sound of the door and a young Vulcan in yellow uniform entered. "I had orders to report to you," he told them in a tense voice, "but I must inform you, that I'm not ill...and this all...is just the result of a misunderstanding," he stopped like someone gulping a too big bite down, "so I will...no longer...steal your work time." With that he turned to the door.

"Hey, slow down!" called Shrinal and the Vulcan turned back with a sharp look into Shrinal's eyes. "You're hand is shaking," continued the Andorian without bothering his look, "first we have to watch this. I'm sorry, Ensign, you can't go yet," Shrinal told him clearly. "Sit down on this biobed, please."

In the meanwhile Valery has fetched a tricorder and began scanning the patient. She was so concentrated on the little screen that she didn't realize how the Vulcan was looking at her.

"How long did you have this shaking?" Charlie asked him.

"I have my hands...totally under control...there's no reason...to worry."

"He seems to be under big stress," Valery concluded her analysis, "high pulse frequency and stress hormone readings."

"And he's radiating a funny smell," the Andorian commented, "don't you smell it?"

Suddenly the Vulcan was standing again and looking Shrinal intensely into his eyes.

"Please sit down again," said Charlie with a mollifying gesture and took gently hold of his arms. The next thing he felt was the Vulcan pressing his arms forcibly and he heard his own voice screaming. Shrinal, who had taken hold of him from behind, got a elbow check into his ribs first, and second he landed in front of the Vulcan, his back crashing on the floor. When the patient pounced on the Doctor-in-training, the hologram vanished suddenly.

"He didn't like that comment about his smell, Shrinal," Charlie complained, "and I didn't smell anything either."

"He didn't flip until a smart psychologist touched him," responded the Andorian while he was standing up and turning his antennae towards his accuser.

"Let's just start this program again," suggested Valery.

"I would never have thought," commented Shrinal while he was taking care of his battered uniform, "that Vulcans can flip like that" and looked curious at T'Pkara, who didn't seem to think that it would be necessary to respond to that.

"Probably he has the Bendii-Syndrome," suggested Valery.

"Nah, much too young," Shrinal said. "But we should be ready to face things different from our textb-"

"Please debate while the program is running!" reminded them Dr. Crusher, "in reality you wouldn't have infinite time! Computer, start program after the tricorder scan." 

The hologram reappeared, sitting on the biobed. "I'll look at your patient's file and do a research." Charlie walked over to the desk and his face vanished behind the screen.

"We should scan for all sorts of infections," suggested Valery and made adjustments with her fingers flying quickly over the monitoring screen of the biobed. "Hmm...nothing," she turned to the patient, "Ensign Sorak, did you take something recently you never tried before?"

"Nothing...which I can remember."

Valery was glad, that her friendly bedside manner seems to calm his aggressions. He looked at her expectantly. "Did you experience any other symptoms?"

"Ensign..." he began.

"Alba," she helped him.

"Ensign...Alba," he said slowly, looking deep into her eyes, "I'm...not ill...and I'm totally...in control...of the situation...Please discharge me."

This case was really a hard nut to crack and why can't he stop looking at her like this?

"Because of your high readings we are not convinced of your health, Ensign," Shrinal told him, trying to be a bit more diplomatically, "you suffer from an extreme biochemical imbalance." He touched the monitoring screen. "We should do a neuroscan on him."

He fetched a scanner, Valery intercepted him on his way back. "Let me scan him," she whispered, "he seems to be less aggressive with me." Carefully she advanced on him and moved the device around his head, he looked at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked nervous.

"No...the scanner isn't...bothering me." He was breathing heavily.

Shrinal monitored the screen of the biobed. "His head is a mess!" he murmured, "he should wear a neuro-surveillance-monitor...that can go critical in no time."

T'Pkara gave Valery the little circle-shaped device. In the meanwhile Charlie seemed to have discovered something. "Please come over here," he gestured at them, "for a little conference." Shrinal and T'Pkara walked over to him and were waiting for Valery, who was adjusting the neuro-surveillance-monitor.

"It will feel cold for a moment," he told her patient, "but later you shouldn't feel that it's even there." She stuck the device careful at his right temple. "I'll activate it now." To ensure he wasn't moving so she wouldn't miss the little buttons, she laid her free hand gently on his neck. He gave a silent moan and suddenly had one hand on her neck and the other under her chin. Now he was standing facing her. His brown eyes piercing into hers. His hands feeling feverish hot, holding her tight, but not brutal. He was grasping for breath.

"What...are you doing!" she shrieked. When she tried to loosen his grip, the hologram vanished again. She was standing there for a moment, catching herself.

"Did he hurt you?" Charlie asked with sorrow.

"No...but it was...creepy."

"Looked like some sort of mind meld." Shrinal had a thoughtful expression on his face, which suited him, looking much smarter and sensible than people would normally think him to be, "probably the disease is spreading through that."

Only Counselor Troi saw the slightly shocked expression of T'Pkara's face, but hadn't realized yet, her own mouth was still open. When she exchanged a look with Dr. Crusher, the Doctor whispered: "I didn't write this program."

Valery was looking discouraged and annoyed into Shrinal's blue face. "So I'm also infected now, fine."

"We'll find a way to shoot this mean bacillus which is plaguing our pointy eared friend," he tried to cheer her up.

"He isn't ill," Charlie lectured them with a clear voice and everybody turned around, "not the way you think..." All eyes were at the becoming psychologist. "Ahem, he has the Pon Farr."

One pair of antennae was tensing and two pair of eyes widened. "What's that?"

"Vulcans!" Shrinal was laughing, "I cannot believe it!" After the gamma shift Ten Forward was usually crowded with people taking lunch. "And then they keep that secret! I thought this Farr Heija was just another stress hormone for my whole life!" He shook his head. "Guess they're afraid we would make mean jokes...We Andorians don't have such problems, the whole galaxy knows that our antennae go deep blue when we're horny!"

"Shrinal!" Valery hissed, "you should declare that through hyperspace message to make sure the Andromeda nebula doesn't miss it!"

Charlie gulped a bite down, "Vulcans don't talk about sexuality, I think that's why T'Pkara decided not to eat with us today."

"I'm wondering, if female Vulcans get this, too...there's still a need for scientific exploration..." Shrinal got another round of warning looks, which he ignored.

Charlie sipped on his drink. "I think this telepathic connection deepens the emotional relationship and stimulates the partner."

The Andorian was silent for a moment, then he turned to Valery. "How did it feel?"

"Holograms aren't able to do a mind meld," she answered calmly.

The question poser felt himself caught in a stupidity and started to grin. "Well, at least you healed him, though your method was _a bit_...unconvential, but it's leading to success, I'm sure."

Valery gave him a sharp look.

"Sorry, It was just a joke."


	3. Volcano Eruptions

**Chapter 3: Volcano eruptions**

After she had helped Dr. Crusher with the treatment of a hypochondriac, she fell tired into bed...

Lt. Barclay entered sickbay and complained about his left arm. He said, that his arm didn't feel real enough, that the transporter must have had some strange malfunction. She searched the whole ship for an fitting organ donor. She went to Ten Forward, where she met the android. He agreed to swap arms with Lt. Barclay. She detached the arm and went back to sickbay. When she finally had fitted the arm to Barclay, she realized that it was the wrong one. Dr. Crusher was very disappointed and horrified by her unprofessionalism. She sent Valery to the holodeck to do more exercises. She'll probably be allowed to treat real patients again in a year.

When she entered holodeck three the holographic Vulcan was already waiting for her. The door shut behind her and he said: "Computer, start program Pon Farr." His hand moved over to her, two fingers extended. He touched her lips, his fingers felt feverish. She layed both hands onto his warm neck. He began kissing her. She shut her eyes. His hand wandered under her chin, the other one, too. His tongue was hot. A sensation of warmth arousal inside her. She opened her eyes and looked into his. They were dark brown. They looked like a pair of eyes she knew from somewhere. They looked like Taurik's eyes.

She awoke, panting. It was dark. Her room mate T'Pkara seemed to have also gone to bed in the. She listened and could hear her silent, calm breathing. She decided not to watch at the clock, turned around and tried to fall asleep again.

* * *

"Alba to Shrinal!"

The Andorian awoke with a start. A muffled sound was hearable. "Aoutsh!"

"Everything okay with you?"

"...I've banged my antennae on the ceiling...what's the matter?"

"Have you overslept?"

Shrinal jumped of the loft bed. "I'm coming!"

"Crusher is still not here. If you're quick, she won't realize your coming late."

"Do my best, see you then!" Shrinal took his blue uniform. He saw that a yellow one was still hanging on its place. He looked into the bed of his room mate. "Hey Taurik, wake up!"

The Vulcan turned around slowly and opened his eyes. "Aren't you also a bit late?" Suddenly the engineer was awake and asking the computer about the time. "Thanks for waking me up."

"You're welcome!" And Shrinal left their quarters.

He had luck, though he could have slept a quarter of an hour longer. "I just had a conference," Crusher said when she rushed into sickbay, "your schedule today is changed." She started to took boxes from a shelf. "We followed an emergency call from Aval IV some hours ago. You will accompany the medical team down to the planet."

* * *

The surface was covered with volcanoes like other planets were with mountains. The inhabitants had constructed buildings howering 5.8204 m over the surface. They were connected to each other with hermetically closed glass pipes. The last time a volcano had erupted the hulls of some of these cone-shaped buildings burst and toxic gases penetrated them. An antitoxin made it possible for engineers, doctors and geologists to work without protective clothing. Cmdr. La Forge wanted to equip the hulls with force fields. When one looked out of the window of the control center, one could see clouds of ashes going by. Big screens on the north wall of the room showed the activities of the nearest volcanoes. Many lay silent like peaceful mountains, except one, which was spitting dark smoke. Suddenly there was see a stream of fiery lava gushing out of the crater over the mountain and flooding slowly forward...He has held the fire back till he cannot any longer...Illogical, he was personalizing a geological phenomenon. Volcanoes don't hold anything back. The eruption is caused by a chain of geological phenomena. Taurik turned to the control station of the magnetic hovering unit again...It had been Valery Alba, who had told him of an antique earth myth. Hephaistos, the god of the volcano, had given humanity the art of the black smith, the ability to form tools. Had he known that they would use it to form weapons too? Sharp, blinking weapons, hardened in red heat...On the other hand he would have used these weapons possibly himself...against a rival...when he is in love with the goddess Aphrodite...Valery Alba was a fascinating personality. Then, in the academy, she had told him a lot about her people and he had told her a lot about his - but not everything...He should meditate in the next break. His thoughts seems to go off topic a lot. His mental discipline is going down. If it at least wouldn't be that hot here.

* * *

The Halascium V supplies of the planet and the Enterprise were nearly gone. They had used it to treat the affected Avalans and to protect the away teams from the toxic gases. Valery and Shrinal were accompanying Dr. Crusher and a team of geologists into a calmer region of the planet. The geologists were searching for substances, on which basis they could product more Halascium V. But the search was difficult for the shifting magnetic fields of the planet were giving trouble to the scanners. In a promising place the engineering team had installed a drill fixture. Dr. Crusher was in conversation with an Avalan biochemist while the geologists were gathering around the device. In the end the technique seemed to function, but it was a long waiting, till anything interesting was found. In the meanwhile Valery and Shrinal were exploring the environment. The air was dry, but smelled pleasant. On a mountain side covered with wild bushes and violet flowers children were playing. Their skin wasn't that bright orange like the skin of the adult Avalans, but of a reddish brown reminding of clay. After a short conversation they walked on. When they turned around a black rock face, they saw a Vulcan sitting in the shadow meditating. Valery came to a sudden halt. Taurik! Or was she wrong and it was Vorik, his twin brother? At the academy she had been wrong only the first time she had seen Vorik. She had always been able to keep them apart later. Taurik had been talking differently to her and he had seemed to look at her more friendly. But it could had been also just imagination. Now he was sitting so silent and far from here in the shadow, it was hard to tell.

Shrinal made her move on. "Let him meditate, he has overslept this morning, probably not his day."

"Taurik is your room mate?"

"Yeah, do you know him? Yesterday he was so nice to wake me up."

"Yes, we have had piloting lessons together at the academy." She paused for a moment.

Shrinal got a slight curl at the corners of his mouth. "Piloting lessons and...?"

"Nothing and, we discussed a lot about philosophy and some other things."

"Ah-ha!"

"May I ask you, how you managed to oversleep on two days in a row and two days of a new job, too?"


	4. Course on Vulcan

**4 Course on Vulcan**

He still wasn't able to meditate. For three days, since he had set foot on this planet. He should probably go to the Doctor. Why hadn't he done so already? Perhaps he was inhaling something affecting his brain functions, something stealing his concentration away. Something heating is blood. He imagined how he would go to sickbay and tell Dr. Crusher about his symptoms. How she would scan him caring with a tricorder. It would be better to go in the night, when Dr. Selar was on duty. Illogical. The Vulcan Doctor doesn't necessarily know better about Vulcan physiology than the human. Or about Vulcan biochemy and the hot atmosphere of this planet. The gases which were stealing his mind, while they didn't harm anyone else. The gases, which burned in his blood and heated it up to the boiling point. Only one volcano was going to erupt here. The others were snow covered mountains, which would stand there cold and uncomprehending when his lava would spout without control. They would be afraid of the flames and they would look away with revulsion. He rose form the dust of the planet and tried to block these irrational thoughts. He went slowly back to the multiple devices laboring to produce Halascium V.

* * *

"Taurik!"

"Sorry, Commander, magnetic field compensator seven is working under normal parameters!"

"Is everything okay with you?" Cmdr. La Forge was looking at him apprehensively.

"Yes...I assume, that the atmosphere of the planet is affecting my ability to concentrate...I'll compensate for that."

"I understand, the heat is roasting one rather neatly here. You better go coolin' yourself under a cold shower for a few minutes. One can already see your green blood going to your head." La Forge smiled jestingly, "ask our Avalaen friends, they'll show you where you can refresh yourself a little here." He tapped his Ensign sympathetic on the shoulder. Taurik twitched slightly. The Chief Engineer was looking at him apprehensively again. "But you're shuddering, Taurik!" he realized astonished. "You'd better go to sickbay, before you fall into the next crater...And I used to think you Vulcans were adapted to a climate of this sort!" –

"I think...I'm capable...to fulfill my duty...after a little rest."

"Respect for your diligence, Ensign, but don't force me to _order_ you to sickbay!"

"Yes, Commander." He took a deep breath. "Taurik to Enterprise, one person to beam up."

It was like when he had left Vulcan to go to Starfleet. The transporter beam brought him suddenly into the cool atmosphere of the ship and he noticed the smell of the humans. Only this time his brother Vorik wasn't with him. He still didn't believe in his death. But he was alone. He went to his quarters and was glad to be alone. He noticed his relief about it. Something isn't right with me, he thought. He layed down onto his bed to do a simple breathing exercise. Why am I not going to a doctor? I'm acting irrationally. His parents had been against their sons joining Starfleet. He and his brother would see later that they had wasted time striving after military ranks. They were supposed to deepen their study of logic early. This interest of young inexperienced people for the human culture will go away like it did come. Valery has been the doorway to that alien culture. Valery, she, who had suddenly kissed him, after he had tried to stop her falling into a lake from a slippery stone. He had failed and landed in the lake with her. The water had been warm, but he hadn't been able to swim. When she took hold of him, he felt the sand under his feet. She laughed. He was still holding onto her. Later he had seen his mistake. He had told Vorik nothing of the kiss, but had made him understand, that he can't see Valery Alba again. Poor Valery had very likely not known that he is betrothed. Betrothed to a seven year old girl, who must be a woman now. A Vulcan woman would had understood his retreating, but it must had hurt Valery. Probably she has forgotten him long ago. He wondered where she is. On which Starbase, on which vessel, on Earth? He saw her face in his mind. Wet hair hanging down her forehead. Her cheeks reddened, her lips deeply red. She has round eyebrows and bright blue eyes. He felt her hands on his chest, her breath in his face. He saw her wet shirt sticking on her chest. She was so near to him...He realized that a part of his body was suddenly burning hot and his heart was racing. The knowledge of what was happening to him hit him like an old heavy book falling down from a high shelve onto his head.

* * *

"Come in." Picard looked up from his screen. "Ensign...?" 

"Taurik, Sir."

"How can I help you, Ensign?"

"I'm asking for shore leave on my home planet, Sir."

The Captain was silent for a moment and watched Taurik pensively.

"I ask your permission to return to Vulcan with a shuttle craft." Taurik gave him a pad.

Picard took it and went on with watching him. "You know that we will be much nearer Vulcan in three weeks and that you will not need to waste two days just for the journey then?" –

"Yes, Sir...but it is...urgent." Taurik was sweating.

"I understand," answered Picard abruptly, "permission granted." Picard signed the Pad and gave it back to Taurik. He will soon be secure and will not make any more mistakes.


	5. Odyssey

**5 Odyssey**

After he had left the shuttle bay and did everything according to protocol, he laid in the coordinates for Vulcan. Later he could change to autopilot if necessary. He had been warned to underestimate the fever. It affects discernment and is one of the biggest tests for a Vulcan, a test of his character and his study of logic. He would soon have passed it.  
When he had been a little boy he had attended the bonding of his sister. He remembered dimly the formulaic and poetic sounding ancient Vulcan words of which he had understood only little. The ceremony had been short. Suddenly everyone had started to leave and they had left his sister there with that strange man in the desert. At the place of Koon-ut-kal-if-fee is a primitive shelter and a basin which they had filled with fresh water beforehand. His parents had told him and Vorik that their sister would soon be logical again. He hadn't understood back then how a simple biologic act could cause a Vulcan to behave illogically. He had not learned about Pon Farr until he had become officially an adult. When he and his classmates had become of age, each of them got a pad with the task to study it exactly and alone. It contained medical information and codes of behavior. Vorik had wanted to talk with him about it, but he had reprehended his younger twin brother.

* * *

The situation on Aval IV had become calmer and the medical teams used the opportunity to collect data about the Avalans. The medical technology of the planet was behind that of other areas. Although the Avalans were members of the Federation and got regular offers for scientific exchange, medical tricorders seemed to haven't arrived yet. They were diagnosing with some sort of telepathic introspection and ancient techniques like palpation, motion testing and similar inexact procedures. Especially the telepathy has been always suspect to Valery. Isn't it a bit disgusting to experience the feelings of others? And how to separate one's own feelings from those of the patient? She collected together with the other doctors-in-training and their tutors data about those procedures while the Avalan healers were doing their job. The hospital had big windows like all other buildings and the walls inside were painted in a bright orange one had to get used to. Valery was assisting Dr. Crusher with the multiple scanners in a sick room with eight patients of different sexes and ages while Charlie and Counselor Troi were surveying the healers and the patients. Shrinal and T'Pkara were in the medical lab aboard the Enterprise to analyze the first data. Valery wondered if Dr. Crusher had given this task to the lively Andorian on purpose. He probably got on T'Pkara nerves. The Vulcan had obviously been assigned to this to confront herself with something she didn't yet understand. Or because she knows pretty much about neurology while Valery wouldn't have a chance on this analysis. The readings she got were funny. Probably that was the reason the Avalans didn't use tricorders.

* * *

In the pad he had read that the betrothed will be driven to each other to complete the bond. They should go in a controlled manner at their earliest convenience to the place of Koon-ut-kal-if-fee. Does his betrothed already feel the fire in her blood? Is she already there waiting for him? He tried to visualize her face, what she would look like as grown up woman. On the upper part of her body was sticking a wet t-shirt and when he looked up she had the face of Valery Alba. Blue eyes like spring water. He drank of it. Wet brown hair strands in the face. A mouth, a gateway to an alien world. But suddenly he noticed a sharp voice echoing through the desert from far away. It was kind of calling to him. 

"Warning, you are approaching the event horizon of a black hole."

The voice was disturbing him and he did his best to ignore it, while he was looking into these blue eyes. He drowned in Valery's eyes.

"Contact in five minutes."

He drowned in her mouth, a bath in a warm spring.

"Warning, you are approaching the event horizon of a black hole."

He wanted to be as near to her as possible and pressed his body to hers while he was kissing her under the chin.

"Contact in four minutes."

He laid her gently into the dust of the desert and ripped the clothes of her body.

"Warning, you are approaching the event horizon of a black hole."

She was constraining his kisses when she took off his uniform.

"Contact in three minutes."

She patted his chest and her hands moved onto his back, where she hold him.

"Warning, you are approaching the event horizon of a black hole."

He drowned in the ocean of her lap.

"Contact in two minutes."

He still heard the unpleasant voice calling him.

"Warning, you are approaching the event horizon of a black hole."

He listened to it for a moment.

"Contact in one minute."

He was flying into a black hole! He stumbled hastily to the controls, but saw only blurs of light. "Computer, correct course! Fly around black hole!"

* * *

They had the rest of the day free and so they wandered in bathing clothes over grass on clay ground. The area around the salt lake in the temperate zone of Aval IV was crowded; it seemed to be the standard holiday place of the planet. They found after walking some time a place where there was both sun and shadow. Charlie made himself comfortable in the shadow of a small rock while the other two laid their bath towels on the sunny spot. The psychologist unpacked a pad and began reading. When Valery got sunscreen put on her back by Shrinal she realized that the Andorian wasn't in his usual good mood. Probably the analysis with T'Pkara hasn't been only boring but also frustrating… 

"Did you ask T'Pkara to come with us to the lake?" She touched on the subject carefully.

"Nah," he answered monosyllabically and splashed a much too big portion of sunscreen on her back.

"Did you have an argument?" She asked ignoring his method of putting cream on her back.

Shrinal paused for a moment before he started to distribute the mass of sunscreen. "One may say so," he said in a sarcastic tone seldom heard from him.

"About what?" Valery knew Shrinal and most of time he becomes the good natured comrade again when one has some compassion for him, especially for self-made bad luck.

"I addressed her about special matters," he answered.

Valery frowned and suspected him of tactlessnesses. "About which matters exactly?"

"Um…about her strange behavior recently," he began a bit sheepishly.

"What do you mean?"

"He covered the last free spot of her back with a thick layer of sunscreen. "Didn't you realize how aggressive she is recently?"

Valery turned around. "Aggressive?" She began putting the rest of the sunscreen left in the box onto the sensitive blue skin. "I find her just normal cold-blooded Vulcan. I've never encountered an aggressive Vulcan."

"Sure," he reminded her saucily, "at holodeck three."

Valery's eyebrows turned towards each other. "Do you suggesting she had Pon Farr!" she replied unbelieving. "You're crazy! Shrinal, you're just imagining this!"

"I'm sure," he countered confidently.

Charlie looked up from his pad. "Shrinal, you surely know that inexperienced doctors often tend to see _everywhere _signs of a syndrome they have just learned."

"Come on, Shrinal," Valery urged him, "Vulcans aren't as easy to understand as you may think. She was supposedly just distanced. That's how Vulcans are."

Charlie laid his pad besides. "Vulcans are also capable of emotions beyond natural processes like the Pon Farr, but they can usually hide them very well. You probably got just a bit too much on her nerves."

"Yeah, who could understand Vulcans better than _you_," Shrinal countered to Charlie and rested his hands on the ground. "I'm astonished that _you_ hadn't been born with pointed ears." His antenna turned forwards, Valery knew this already. "It's easy to make smart comments about the faults of others when oneself is standing carefully outside of everything," he went on. "Prof. Dr. Psychologist is naturally above all that what gives problems to us mere mortals."

"Hey Shrinal," Valery interrupted him, "he only wants to help you."

All of them were silent for a while and listened to the melodic chatting of the Avalans. The air was dry as ever but smelled funny like vanilla with salt in it.

"Did you say something to her she probably got wrong?" Valery asked carefully.

After a short pause Shrinal replied: "I've warned her of denying the Pon Farr."

Valery was speechless.

"When she didn't want to believe me that she has it," he told them, "I fetched a tricorder." He looked into the glittering water for a moment and looked back to Valery again. "Then she gave me a slap in the face."

"She hit you?" Valery asked back an appalled look .

"Yep." Shrinal laid down on his towel and turned the back to his friends. His ego had obviously gotten the bigger injury.

* * *

He had switched to autopilot, it had been the only logical choice. He didn't know how much time had passed already. The computer would inform the spacefare control center and land at the assigned place automatically. Not much to do any more. Time for more attempts of meditation. Just to not arrive there as a madman. Just keep up until the Koon-ut-kal-if-fee. The inside of the shuttle was calm while the fire seethed inside himself. He was locked into this cage. Captured until the Koon-ut-kal-if-fee and after that in the bond with a woman he hadn't seen since infancy. The shuttle was so little and narrow, so tight. He wanted to get out. To the infinity of the desert. The heat. He was a sandstorm breaking out any moment. He paced. He had left earth. Enterprise. He had left Valery. She was on earth. But he flew to Vulcan. Into the desert. Not into the lake. 

"Entry into solar system in five minutes," the penetrating computer voice suddenly reported. "Sending message to Starfleet headquarters."

Taurik was ripped from his thoughts. "Computer, stop!"

-Beep-

"Where am I?" he asked confused.

"You are in the shuttlecraft number 68375 belonging to the U.S.S. Enterprise with course on earth," reported the computer.

Had he acted amiss when he laid in the course? Had he fed 0/0/1into navigation? Was he hallucinating? "Computer, why are we flying to earth?"

"Course input by Ensign Taurik, Stardate-"

"Computer, course correction, to Vulcan, autopilot," he interrupted angry.

-Beep- "Course correction successful." Then the computer left him to his thoughts again.

* * *

The next day Valery was sorting data in the quiet laboratory. The Avalan brain seemed to her to have no advantages in comparison to other telepathic species she knew like Betazoids and Vulcans, but still these people were able to diagnose with telepathy not only psychological conditions but also physiological ones. She compared the neuroscans of the patients with those of the healers. The images she saw were not what she expected. Even though the healers had stated that they perceive the feelings and pain of their patients the neural activity in the limbic systems didn't resemble each other. Valery was neither an expert in neurology nor in telepathy and she hoped to learn something from T'Pkara. But she didn't seem to be in the mood for a scientifical talk. 

"I wonder why the neural activities don't resemble each other during the telepathic connection," Valery tried repetitively to start a conversation.

No answer. T'Pkara was standing with her back to Valery, a pad in one hand and the other typing on the console.

"Are there days where even Vulcans are in a bad mood and are extremely incommunicative?" she asked daringly.

"Vulcans are never in a bad mood and I recommend you to study the data base for telepathy instead of indulging in unqualified and senseless speculations," was the cold answer.

Okay, T'Pkara was in a bad mood. Valery browsed through the data base without knowing what she was looking for. She had studied detailed metabolisms of various species, but in telepathy she had only attended the obligatory basic class and, she had to admit, she thought about other matters most of the time.

-clatter-

Valery looked up and saw a pad lying on the floor. T'Pkara bent down to fetch it up. She was trembling slightly.

"T'Pkara, are you alright?" Valery asked suspicious.

"Yes, I'm fine," T'Pkara answered dryly while the trembling became more violent.

"You should let yourself scanned through," Valery suggested.

T'Pkara laid the pad aside. "That's absolute not necessary, Ensign," she answered irritably. "Excuse me, I will make a short break for meditation." And she left the laboratory.

Shrinal had been right. "Alba to Shrinal."

"Yes, what's up?" the voice of the Andorian sounded delighted.

"I have a little medical question. Do you have a moment?"

"Straight through the ice! Nobody here but me and endless Halascium 5 supplies awaiting their checking."

"Shrinal, you have been right about T'Pkara."

"I'm trying to get her to reason for days but this Vulcan pighead-"

"For _days_?" This was new to her.

"Um, well I haven't told you because…to respect her privacy," he stumbled.

"Have you already told Crusher about this?"

"Nah, but I'll try to talk with Miss Volcano later again," he responded good natured.

"Shrinal, I don't think she'd listen better to you than to anyone else," Valery told him, "I'll better report Dr.-"

"Crusher to Alba" the voice of the doctor became suddenly audible through the comm system.

"Alba here."

"Ensign, please report to sickbay," Crusher ordered.

"Yes, Doctor, I'm coming. Alba out…See you, Shrinal."

* * *

When she entered she saw T'Pkara coming from the other side. Her facial expression wasn't giving away anything. 

"You will beam down again shortly," Dr. Crusher informed them. "Before you take the next dose of Halascium 5 I have to check you for adverse effects. After intake for five days concentration disturbances, headaches and dizziness can appear." Crusher started to scan T'Pkara with a tricorder. "Did you experience any-" Crusher's voice took the expression of astonishment, "…ailments"

"No, I'm reacting well to Halascium 5," T'Pkara replied calmly.

"T'Pkara, please wait for a moment, I have curious readings here," Crusher commented and aimed the tricorder at Valery.

"I didn't have any discomfort, Doctor," Valery informed her.

"Well," Crusher responded, "beam down and report to Counselor Troi. I'll be there in a minute, too."

* * *

Troi smiled at Valery and looked then at the two healers she knew already from the research. "Dr. Anoua and Dr. Flusci want to demonstrate us which illnesses they can heal with telepathy." They walked along an orange corridor. This wing of the hospital made for a very peaceful and harmonic feeling, Valery heard lively chatting from all directions. She looked curiously into the open sick rooms they were passing. 

"Picard to all away teams," rang the voice of the Captain through her communicator, "return to the Enterprise immediately, we change course to Vulcan due to a medical emergency. Picard out."

* * *

He'll be at his destination soon and will complete the bond with his betrothed and her family. Valery supposedly wouldn't have understood it even if Taurik would have told her. It wasn't his choice but his family's. Although bonding policy wasn't crucial for survival any more like in former times, it was still important for the connections of his family and their image. And the most important thing was that such a bond suited a life style dedicated to logic. If he would break the betrothal and bond with Valery not only himself but his whole family would be exposed. He wouldn't have passed the character test and his family would have failed in his education. But he had no unbetrothed younger siblings which he could compromise. Vorik was betrothed to a daughter of another family, which wouldn't have any logical reason to break this bond when he would break his… But in the eyes of the others it would still be a illogical choice. They wouldn't understand that he can't forget Valery. But he just can't accept the other woman, it was illogical to bond with her. He wasn't able to imagine to expose himself to her by… 

"Computer."

-beep-

"Search data base of Starfleet for Valery Alba."

-beep- "Available information about Ensign Valery Alba found," came quickly the voice of the computer, which sounded total uninvolved like usual.

"Play."

"Valery Alba matriculated for medical study at the Starfleet Academy at Stard-"

"Computer," he interrupted impatient, "where is she now?"

"Valery Alba was assigned to the U.S.S. Enterprise at Stardate 48515.5. Data about current mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise are not av-"

"Computer," he ordered determined, "hail the U.S.S. Enterprise."

...to be continued...

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	6. A few Misunderstandings

**A few Misunderstandings**

There she was finally, the Enterprise. Taurik switched the comm system on. "Taurik to Enterprise." He was gripping hard at the console and hoped not to betray his condition. "Asking permission to come aboard."

Difficult to tell if the Captain was irritated. He had already shown a surprised facial expression when Taurik had informed him of his unexpected quick return. Now he bore his usual disciplined mien. Picard's behavior differed less from what one could accept as rational than that of most Humans. Taurik wouldn't have had more respect and trust for a Vulcan Captain.

"Permission granted, Ensign," Picard responded in his even, unrevealing voice.

"Thanks, Captain. Initiating lading procedures," Taurik cut the visual connection. Relieved he let go of the console. Slowly the shuttle bay opened and formed an entrance into the interior of the ship, to Valery. Picard shouldn't learn anything about this matter. Taurik prepared the landing. But how should he explain it to Valery? The Shuttle moved forwards and the ship incorporated him. It will protect him for a while, but soon they will reach Vulcan. Inconvenient that the Enterprise has to go to his homeworld right now. The shuttle hit the ground. Taurik didn't know how his family will react. If they will ask him why he didn't come? Or will they draw the conclusion that it hadn't been his fault and the exterior conditions had prevented his arrival? If his betrothed has already taken another Vulcan? If not…he was taking her into danger with his… his unlogical…emotions. He was neglecting his duty. He had to inform her at least so she could look for an alternae in time. If she died it would be his fault. The consol reported the compensation of the atmosphere. He opened the hatch and trod the ground of the Enterprise again.

Ensign Heisenberg was in duty. "Welcome back, Taurik!" the tall, red-haired Human greeted him cheerfully.

"Good day to you, Ensign," Taurik answered tonelessly.

Heisenberg seemed to be astonished but said nothing. Assumedly one could already see it in Taurik's eyes. With luck he wouldn't meet any Vulcan on his way. He entered the turbo lift. Will Valery accept him? Or has she bond with a Human while he had avoided her? He entered his quarters. Already bonded with a Human who understood her better and was able to satisfy her emotions without problems? Shrinal wasn't there. Taurik must send the letter to his betrothed quickly before he can go to Valery.

* * *

Valery was standing under the sonic shower and got cleaned by invisible rays. She was glad to leave T'Pkara alone again for a few minutes. It was embarassing to live with her together in this situation. Valery could feel that she was disturbing the Vulcan. She didn't know anyone here so far at whose place she could have slept for a few days. Charlie was a way too big order fanatic and he would have refered to the responsible officer for the room allotment. And Shrinal was living together with Taurik. Time has made her forget the incident with Taurik. At least she had thought that. She had made herself busy with her study. Now he was here. She knew the location of his quarters exactly. But she always had an excuse not to come near him all time she had been here. Shrinal has realized that quickly and has teased her every time she wanted to borrow something from him. Instead of bringing her this or that pad he had given it Charlie to transmit. The prankster had sent her abstruse mails per subspace message with the plea for borrowing all possible things from her including absurd explainations why she had to bring them personally. Luckily he had stopped lately. Possibly because she had been really annoyed and angry after that stupid made up emergency call. Taurik should be unconscious and needed mouth to mouth… When will Shrinal grow up finally?  
She could meet Taurik… Explain him everything. Apologize and tell him that she had learned her lesson. Now she knew how to behave with Vulcans. She wouldn't do the same mistake again.

* * *

Taurik had the impression of having gotten rid of heavy baggage after this mail had been send. He had chosen the formal wording. It hadn't be in the Pon Farr guide, he had to do a research for it in the historical database. The last time a bride had been rejected in this way was short after Surak's reforms. Taurik was a duty-neglecting V'Tosh Katur now, one whose relationships are as incalculable as his emotions. A Vulcan without logic. If his betrothed only had let him fight against another Vulcan… The winner of the challenge can reject the woman for logical reasons. Who would want a woman who disregarded the reasonable plans of her family and proved so unstable that she fell in love and risked the death of another Vulcan senselessly for her personal affinities? But he had been true to Surak in one point. He didn't unneccessarily risk life. He would leave Vulcan in peace. But he will leave Vulcan.  
Taurik walked down the corridor counting the doors. There was the one behind which was Valery. He sensed a female presence. How could he tell it to her? She will probably be scared. First he should explain his behavior two years ago, why he had avoided her, he should describe the Vulcan traditions. Then he should tell her the exact reason for his coming and induct her. Reveal sensible information to the Human woman, information with no offworlder should know. The secret of Vulcan. But he wasn't the first one: The great Sarek had married a Human woman and she must have learned about Pon Farr somehow. But Taurik thought it unlikely that Ambassador Sarek had neglected his duty to a Vulcan woman. He must have been unbonded to that time. He must have married Amanda Grayson for logical diplomatic reasons. But Taurik wasn't able to fill out his duty, he wasn't a good student of Surak anymore, he wasn't master of himself anymore although he knew exactly what he wanted. Much clearer than in a clear state of mind. It must be a illusory clearness, a seducing, an unlogical, one that misleaded him to duty neglection and egoism. But he would never neglect his duty of caring for Valery, even if it should go beyond the Vulcan extent… He took a deep breath and touched the door alarm. His heart beat excellerated. He heard his own blood rushing in his ears. The door gave way. He entered slowly. The quarters were similar to his, tiny with two small plants on one side. The whole room was shaded, Vulcan meditation candles were giving the only light. Valery wasn't there, only her roommate. She looked at him, she was a Vulcan. Her features looked ordinary, but it seemed to be familiar to Taurik. The last encounter with her must had been long ago and he didn't know who she was or probably he hadn't known ever. She stared at him and her gaze seemed to go inside him. He searched for a way to dispatch that impression. 

"Taurik", she spoke with a clear voice, "my betrothed."

It was T'Pkara! He recognized her features now. It was she, who he had been promised to at the age of seven, after Vulcan tradition, after logic. "T'Pkara," he stuttered. Taurik didn't want to go to her, he wanted to bond with Valery.

"I have analyzed the symptoms too late," she spoke, "it is my fault that we are not already on Vulcan. I ask for forgiveness."

Hasn't she read the letter? However a part of him seemed not to be disaffected by her. He sensed a tickling appetite to touch her. Taurik must inform T'Pkara that he won't complete the bond with her. "T'Pkara," he began slowly preparing for disagreement, "I didn't come to bond with you."

T'Pkara took it with contenance. "That is logical," she responded. "We will reach Vulcan in 40.3 hours. It would be inadequate to complete the bond before the ceremony. We will show discipline."

Taurik gulped, then the door hissed on his left side. Valery was standing there. She seemed to be a bit older and more serious, but still the same Valery he had met on Earth. The Valery from the medical class at the academy, the Valery in his thoughts. She wore a turquoise blue night gown with knee lenghts. It was bringing out the color of her eyes. Her cheeks and lips were slightly red. Her face expressed surprise. She looked into his eyes and then to T'Pkara. Suddenly the expression of her blue eyes seemed to be closed up.

"Valery," Taurik heard his own voice say.

Then it hissed again this time it was the entrance door and Shrinal entered. His antennae moved. He looked Taurik into the face and his eyes became narrow. He looked at T'Pkara and then at Valery. Both exchanged looks which meaning Taurik didn't know. He wanted the Andorian to disappear again and watched him intensly. His blue skinned rival turned to him again, his antennae moving. His body seemed to be tensed. Taurik noticed that the antennae armed man towered above him for half a head's size. With that long antannae he looked even heigher. But the Andorian wasn't very strong, though athletic and flexible. The antennae tensed now and looked into his direction, probably these things were his weakest spot.

"What do you want here, Andorian?" Taurik hissed.

"Obviously the same as you, Vulcan," the blue mouth retorted in a respectless tone.

"You should better leave now, Andorian," Taurik told him slowly in a threatening voice, "you comprehend nothing of this!"

"Huh!" yelled the blueskinned guy, "I understand very well: You want to have her for yourself alone, logic-ass!"

Taurik has stayed rational long enough, long enough he had abstained from Valery. Too long. "She's my mate," he gasped and felt his fingerpoints pressing against his heel of hand when he was forming fists. "I'll do everything for her!"

His Anorian rival approached him. "If we were on Andor," he whispered provocatively, "I would call Ushaan upon you." Then the blue spoke aloud: "Let us go to the holodeck together, if you really esteem her, pick-ear!"

"I take the challenge!" Taurik yelled into his face.

...too be continued...

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	7. Challenges

_Thanks for your nice reviews! I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter as well. It's a bit longer for it's happening a lot, but there are some points where you could take a little break and fetch a mug of coffee or tea. Have fun!_

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
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**7 Challenges**

The wings of the door shifted together like two stone slabs and locked with a soft thud. Shrinal operated the console. Everything happened rapidly. Suddenly Taurik and he were standing opposite to each other, both armed with sharp ice picks. The location itself looked like a frozen sea, it was night, but two moons produced enough light to see what was going on. It was glimmering silvery on the frozen surface and on the blades. Taurik was holding one ice pick tightly in front of his chest. Shrinal was leaning his exemplar with one hand over his shoulder.

Unexpectedly Shrinal tapped his communicator badge. "Shrinal to Glaser,"

"Glaser here," Charlie's voice sounded.

"Charlie," Shrinal said firmly, "come immediately to holodeck 3, Shrinal out."

Taurik seemed to be confused, he continued fixing Shrinal with an intensive stare, which electrified Valery.

"Choose your second!" Shrinal called on him.

Taurik didn't answer, he shivered slightly. There was an awkward silence. The cold seemed even to freeze one's breath.

"Well, you can also do without if you like," Shrinal said casually in a pronounced way.

"Stop this idiocy! Have you all gone nuts?" Valery exploded finally. She had already thought she would never catch her voice.

"Your interference is inadequate," T'Pkara informed her.

Then the door opened and warm light penetrated the room. Charlie came inside with an alarmed air and his eyes traveled from one combatant to the other.

"Charlie," Valery shouted, "they're becoming lunatics!"

"Put down the ice picks! You two could hurt each other seriously!" Charlie shouted shocked. "Duels are forbidden!" Charlie turned to Taurik, stared intensely at him and was transfixed for a moment.

"Hey, you are my second!" Shrinal shouted to Charlie unimpressed while Taurik slowly moved over to the blue one.

"Shrinal, throw the weapon down!" Charlie talked at him, "you're making a mistake!"

Something just gave Valery a reality check. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. "Computer", this was no dream after all, even if it seemed to be unbelievable, "add a heavy rain." The water was cold, it poured down as coming from huge buckets and everyone was soaking wet in seconds. Shrinal looked at her puzzled.

Valery cast him a dirty look back. "Computer," she said clearly, "end program."

The rain stopped. The ice picks disappeared. The frozen surface mutated to the black-yellow holo grid. It became warmer, Valery felt her fingers defrosting and the cold water dropped down from her. This uniform was uncomfortably sticky. Shrinal poured the water out of his boots. But Taurik seemed to be unconscious and Charlie who must have caught him falling laid him carefully down onto the ground. "Glaser to sickbay! Medical emergency in holodeck 3, emergency transport on my signal!"

Before Valery could reach them, they were gone too. She looked over to Shrinal, who showed an expression of astonishment. But it wasn't just astonishment. Something made Valery angry, it was relief. He was glad that his rival was removed! Valery turned away, left the holodeck and ran to sickbay.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"20 mn Inoprovaline!" In Sickbay everyone was busy. Crusher bended over Taurik and took the hypospray from nurse Ogawa.

"He's fallen into a coma!" the nurse reported.

"Neurostimulator, lowest degree," the doctor ordered.

Nurse Ogawa looked intensely at the screen. "No reaction, Dr."

Crusher moved over to her, red hair flying behind her. She looked at the screen and then she scanned him with a tricorder. "I don't dare to stimulate him stronger", she sighed. "We should let it be, Larissa. Do a complete neural scan…and inform Dr. Selar please." The doctor disappeared into her study, where one could hear her scrolling through the database. When she looked up again she saw Valery and Charlie standing in the doorway. "Ensign Alba, Ensign Glaser, what happened?" she asked.

Valery took a breath, then Charlie was already answering: "We were at the holodeck in a simulation…Ensign Shrinal wanted to teach us an Andorian martial art…unfortunately he made a little programming mistake and we all became a bit wet. Taurik seemed not to get along with the Andorian weather so we stopped the simulation. Then he collapsed suddenly."

Crusher gave him an interrogative look. "Did nothing attract your attention beforehand? Has he shown unusual behavior? Has he been nervous or aggressive?"

"Ahem," Valery answered, "no, I don't know, we haven't seen him often…but a moment ago he seemed to be not quite himself somehow, he…seemed to be a bit impatient. What's the matter with him?"

Then T'Pkara and Shrinal reached sickbay. The other two gave the Andorian a sharp look to keep his mouth shut. He seemed to understand.

"How does he feel?" he answered innocently.

"He has fallen into coma and is relatively stable at the moment, but I can't say for how long. We have to reach Vulcan as soon as possible," Crusher answered, "it would be better if you dry yourself now, I'll inform you when his condition changes. You can't do much for him at the moment."

"Thanks, Doctor," Valery answered worried and turned to the door with the other three.

"Ensign T'Pkara," Dr. Crusher called the Vulcan, "please report back to me in five minutes."

"Yes, Doctor," the Vulcan answered.

Valery turned back but Charlie pulled her and Shrinal to the door.

"How could this happen! What's going on here?" Valery asked aloud after the door has closed behind them.

"Valery, this isn't the right place," Charlie whispered.

T'Pkara said goodbye with a slightly tilting of her head and walked down the corridor into the direction of her quarters.

"What does Crusher want from her?" Shrinal asked after she was away far enough.

"I would want to know that too." Valery said with a hushed but firm voice.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Ten Forward sounded the usual lively chattering of the crew. Shrinal, Charlie and Valery reached the bar. "An Andorian Ale, please, but a real one," Shrinal claimed seriously.

"Coming immediately, Mister, I only have to polish my ice pick for the harvest." A dark skinned woman in a lilac costume with a hat looked into the round. "Have I said something wrong?" she said astonished and looked thoughtful at them again. When nobody spoke she grabbed under the bar table and produced a small black barrel. It gave a "plop" and I silent hissing when she worked the opening mechanism. While she poured it into glasses a bluish green mist started to hover down on the sides. "Try this until," she encouraged the three of them, "but don't show it around everywhere," she added whispering with a wink of an eye, "otherwise the officers will want it too. Over there on the edge is a nice private table free" and she gestured with her head to the right.

Valery looked astonished at Shrinal while they walked over to the free table.

"That's Guinan, funny woman," Shrinal answered her look, "she's an expert, knows a lot about people."

Valery seated herself opposite the window with her back to the other tables. "Now tell me Shrinal, are you out of your mind! What got into you!"

"That's a very personal issue between Taurik and me," he answered.

"Since when do you have personal issues?"

Shrinal started to play with the bluish green mist.

"You don't mean this with T'Pkara seriously or do you?" Valery probed.

Shrinal stirred his indefinable drink with his drinking straw, there wasn't much of the mist left.

"Shrinal, she is a Vulcan!" Valery went on, "she won't take everything as easy as Jazy, Lisa, Zalu…Takuil or… Rona."

"It's not about taking it easy," he responded. Under the bluish green mist a vine-red fluid appeared.

"Oh, that's why you are dueling with Taurik for her!" she hissed accusing. Valery's eyes widened, "what is between Taurik and T'Pkara?"

"Well, they must be betrothed, I think," Shrinal told her.

"Betrothed! How betrothed?" Valery asked shocked.

"Vulcan Tradition, blah, blah, blah," Shrinal answered frustrated.

"Then Taurik wants to marry her and would even kill somebody for that?" Valery asked quietly.

"No," Charlie interrupted suddenly, "he has the Pon Farr and it is affecting his judgment."

"Honestly…" Shrinal began, "I haven't thought that he would really go so far…he doesn't even love her, he just wants to obey his tradition, this is nuts!"

"Then he has the Pon Farr!" Valery said astonished.

"Obviously," Shrinal responded angry, "they have been forced to a telepathic bonding when they were helpless little kids." He was silent for a moment and then he looked Valery into the face. "You aren't normally the one who needs an extra explanation?"

"I had a lot of work to do…with the practice and so on," Valery explained, "everything with Vulcans is so complicated…".

"That is a matter of perspective," Charlie said slowly.

They were sitting in silence for a while, everyone sucking on his/her drinking straw. Valery watched the stars and saw the white threads going longer and changing quicker suddenly.

"Crusher to Glaser, Alba and Shrinal" – "Yes," Charlie responded. "Please report to sickbay."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was the sound of broken glass, something grave crashed heavily on the floor and caused dump sounds, fists hit a bed, medical instruments flew through the air and bounced off a force field which hissed and sparkled. T'Pkara seemed not to notice Charlie, Shrinal and Valery. She furiously paced the room around her bed like a tiger on the search for things not already broken, ripped, dented or thrown over.

"T'Pkara!" Shrinal called.

"Go away!" she shouted back and threw everything she was able to get hold of in the direction of the Andorian. The force field hissed rhythmically when it defended him.

"Let me inside!" Shrinal requested from Dr. Crusher.

The doctor pressed her lips together and looked intensely at Shrinal. "Talk with her, you are her friends, try to calm her."

T'Pkara seated herself behind the bed and turned her back on her friends.

"I must warn strongly not to deactivate the force field. At the moment Ensign T'Pkara is a danger to herself and the ship," Dr. Selar said muted. Her voice sounded tired.

"What happened!" Valery asked.

Dr. Selar looked questioningly at Dr. Crusher.

"They know what T'Pkara is going through," Dr. Crusher informed her.

The Vulcan doctor looked around, then she said slowly, "Ensign Taurik's readings were critical and the Enterprise will reach Vulcan not for 39.4 hours. So we have tried to induce the bonding with his betrothal Ensign T'Pkara. The trial failed."

Shrinal turned to T'Pkara and called her gently.

"How is Taurik?" Valery asked and walked over to his bed where he laid motionless. She wasn't even able to discern a breathing movement. His hair was dry and slightly disheveled. His face looked closed up and sleeping but unusual tensed.

"His condition is going worse rapidly," Dr. Crusher told her in a low voice, "we can't prevent brain damage with drugs alone. The Captain has ordered a higher speed so both will be transferred into a Vulcan special hospital as quickly as possible."

"Why didn't you succeed, ahem, in bonding them?" Valery asked.

"His mind closed up," the Vulcan doctor whispered.

"Doctor, I'm curious," Valery spoke to her, "what happens, when a Vulcan tries to bond with someone telepathically, I mean, how does that influence the other person?"

"In general everyone can make a bonding easier or harder," the Vulcan sounded definitely tired now. "Even if a bonding doesn't work, it needs a high discipline not to get infected with the fever."

"Naturally provided that the partners are telepathically compatible," Crusher added.

"Could it be that T'Pkara and Taurik were not…" Valery started.

"No," Crusher interrupted, "we have already excluded this."

"Healthy Vulcans are usually compatible," Dr. Selar said.

"And other species?" Valery asked.

"We assume compatibility with humans and Bolians," Dr. Crusher informed her, "on every other species we lack of data."

Dr. Selar looked Valery into her eyes. "I'm sure it is self-evident to you that everything we discussed here is reserved to medical disquisitions only and none of this information leaves the medical room."

"Yes, I know the professional discretion, doctor," Valery responded carefully. "Ahem, thank you for your trust."

Dr. Selar tilted her head slightly and looked over to T'Pkara's "cage". The inhabitant had dared to leave her hiding place and was now sitting leaned on a wall two steps away from Shrinal who talked quietly to her from the other side of the force field. She has turned her right side to him, but her eyes were on the door. On the other hand she seemed to listen to him.

The two doctors whispered together, Valery only understood a measure entity. Crusher nodded and whispered something to Charlie who walked then over to a table where he filled a hypospray.

The red haired doctor turned to Selar again who was controlling the screen over Taurik's bed now: "Selar, you should rest, the mind meld was very exhausting for you." Crusher laid a hand on Selar's shoulder. "It was bold of you to try it although you're not educated for such cases." The human doctor gave her an encouraging smile. "Lay down. I'll call you when I need you."

Selar nodded slightly, casted a look back of her two patients and left sickbay.

"Doctor," Shrinal spoke to Crusher. "T'Pkara has promised to go without making trouble to her quarters."

The human doctor watched the Vulcan. "Okay, turn the force field off and give her the hypospray – nurse!"

Shrinal grinned over his whole face. Quickly he took the hypo from nurse Ogawa and nearly jumped over to the console. The force field said goodbye with a last hissing. T'Pkara looked around with mistrust. Shinal approached her slowly and whispered something. Then he laid his hand onto her shoulder and injected the hypo. She didn't resist, but looked into his face. He went on with whispering and pulled her gently on her arm in the direction of the door. She followed him without resistance and both blue and white hands joined disappeared. Dr. Crusher and nurse Ogawa looked at each other, than the doctor went into her bureau and sat down behind the screen. Larissa Ogawa started to clean up T'Pkara's former cage. She watched a dented unidentifiable something and tapped her communicator. "Ogawa to La Forge,"

"La Forge here,"

"Lieutenant, I need a technician here," she informed him, "a patient has damaged some devices."

"Yes," the chief engineer said thinking, "I'll see who I can dispense. La Forge out."

Valery looked next to her to Taurik again. He still laid unmoved in his bed.

Somebody tapped her slightly on her shoulder, "I have work to do," Charlie said, "call me if something changes" and he left sickbay too.

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Valery was alone with Taurik now. He was only monitored by the medical unit, but they didn't seem to help him. Valery sat down next to his bed and watched his face. It was like a wall and she wondered what was going on behind it. He was breathing slowly. His breath was weak. Why hasn't T'Pkara succeeded to reach him? Has Dr. Selar not known what to do? Was it already too late?

_Is T'Pkara gone? Not to be seen. But where Valery? Has T'Pkara driven away? No, washed away, everything washed away. Water. No air. Cold outside, inside hot. Valery where?_

Valery had heard stories. Some patients awoke from coma after a close person had talked with them. Was Valery a close person to Taurik? Or could she possibly make his condition worse?

Fight! Andorian, enemy. Won? Lost? – Lost, everything gone. World gone. Darkness, alone. Fire dark hot burning, blazing firelight. World dark.

Valery looked on to the screen, always the same waves.

_Valery, Valery, where?_

"Taurik…can you hear me?" she whispered.

_Valery? She is calling him from the past. Valery?_

The waves weren't changing or were they? "Taurik, can you hear me?"

_A ghost. The eater of the soul! It's coming in the shape of Valery! My katra! My katra!_

"Taurik?" If it was dangerous for her to touch him? She took his right hand in both of hers. She had a curious sensation like a little electrical shock. "Taurik?" She caressed him cautiously.

_His hand prickeled, the sea was playing with it. The sea loved his hand. Was his katra save?_

"Taurik, do you remember me?"

It was the sea on the south pole, his mother thaught him to swim. He swam with Vorik.

"Taurik, do you remember the academy? Our trip to the lake?"

It was the lake on earth. He dived fully under the water. He barged into it.

"Taurik, it's me, Valery."

Valery! Valery was holding him. Valery was jostling him into the lake. The lake was warm, he enjoyed it. Valery!

"Taurik!" She laid one hand on his chest and caressed him.

"Valery?" He opened his eyes. "Valery?" he whispered.

"Taurik!"

He has won the fight! Valery was there. "Valery!" He reached with his hand to her, but his hand didn't obey and trembled.

Valery took his hand and smiled. "How are you?"

"Valery," he gulped and searched for words, "I declare Koon-ut-so-lik to you! He tried to reach her face with his free hand.

She took this hand too and looked questioningly at him. "Taurik, I don't understand."

His face darkened. She looked confused in his eyes, suddenly her eyes widened and she hesitated for a moment. Then she laid both of his hands slowly under her chin. Taurik gave a short moan. Her whole body was filling with warmth more and more. From far away she heared the alarm beeping of the med screen like it was in a room next door. Then voices and gaits which faded out after a moment. Taurik caressed her without using his hands. She could feel into his body. There were closed doors, rooms where she couldn't entry. Others were opening up to her invitingly.

(to be continued)

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_I'm keen on reading more of your reviews! _


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